WiseGEEK analyzed 18 sitcoms based on their availability in reruns and popularity in their first run. They measured the total volume of laughter, laughs per minute, and laughter intensity index to determine the funniest sitcom. The top performers were Friends, All in the Family, and Frasier. The absence of Cheers was noted, and it was acknowledged that virtually every sitcom uses a laugh track. WiseGEEK also provided nominees for the funniest sitcom.
The situation comedy genre has been a staple of American television viewing almost as long as televisions themselves have existed. While
Many like to think that television has come a long way since its first waves of popularity, the truth is, some things haven’t really changed. The
the sitcom’s longevity as a genre speaks volumes for its adaptability and appeal. While these features are interesting from a historical point of view
perspective, the question we’re all asking ourselves is: which one should I look at?
Well, even though we at wiseGEEK cannot know your personal preferences and many of the lesser-known sitcoms are no longer available in reruns, we
we decided to do some research and develop a strategy to answer this very important question.
wiseGEEK chose 18 sitcoms for our analysis, based on a combination of two factors: availability in reruns and series popularity
in its first run. You might notice that some of the shows we watched aren’t from a particularly popular series, but what they lack in popularity, they make up for
awaiting availability in replica.
Our data collection process was simple: each sitcom was analyzed for the number of laughs in the 30-minute time slot, as well as the intensity of laughter for each occurrence. Laughter Intensity (LI) ratings are based on a 4-point scale; giggles, giggles or giggles rated a 1, and slaps on the knees, wiping away tears, wake up laughter at your roommate rated a 4.
TLV: Total volume of laughter
Title of the series
TLV: Total volume of laughter
Amici
185
8 simple rules…
161
I Love Lucy
157
I Parker
150
All in the Family
149
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
145
I Robinson
144
Seinfeld
144
Happy Days
140
The Brady family
124
Leave it to Beaver
116
Frasier
114
golden Girls
114
How I Met Your Mother!
114
Sanford & son
110
Family Ties
107
The Andy Griffith Show
67
M * A * S * H
56
These scores are the sum of the collected data. We simply added up the laughter intensity scores for all the laughs recorded to determine which shows had the
the most (and least) amount of laughter, and call it Total Laugh Volume (TLV).
LPM: laughs per minute
Title of the series
LpM: laughs per minute
Amici
10.14
I Parker
8.11
8 simple rules…
7.67
All in the Family
7.27
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
7.25
I Love Lucy
7.22
I Robinson
7.11
Happy Days
7.09
Seinfeld
6.94
The Brady family
6.05
Frasier
5.63
golden Girls
5.43
Sanford & son
5.37
Leave it to Beaver
5.27
How I Met Your Mother!
5.12
Family Ties
5.10
The Andy Griffith Show
3.19
M * A * S * H
2.70
Each show’s Laugh per Minute (LpM) rating was determined by taking the TLV and dividing by the total number of minutes of show time. us carefully
subtracted time wasted on credits and commercials to avoid punishing repeating sitcoms on networks that show too many commercials.
LII: Laughter Intensity Index
Title of the series
LII: Laughter Intensity Index
All in the Family
1.67
Amici
1.61
Frasier
1.54
Leave it to Beaver
1.45
Sanford & son
1.39
golden Girls
1.37
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1.37
Happy Days
1.36
8 simple rules…
1.33
I Love Lucy
1.30
The Andy Griffith Show
1.22
I Robinson
1.20
Family Ties
1.19
The Brady family
1.17
M * A * S * H
1.17
How I Met Your Mother!
1.11
I Parker
1.10
Seinfeld
1.10
The Laugh Intensity Index (LII) takes the TLV score and divides it by the number of laughs recorded for the show. This way, we can determine which one
the shows have a higher laugh-for-laugh intensity than other shows. Where some show a high rate on the previous two measures, repeated laughter won’t help you in this analysis. For shows topping the Laugh Intensity Index, if you’re laughing, it’s probably more than responding to the laugh track’s peer pressure.
Laugh more, laugh louder
Title of the series
TLV=Blue, LII=Yellow
8 simple rules…
161
8 simple rules…
1.33
All in the Family
149
All in the Family
1.67
Family Ties
107
Family Ties
1.19
Frasier
114
Frasier
1.54
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
145
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1.37
Amici
185
Amici
1.61
golden Girls
114
golden Girls
1.37
Happy Days
140
Happy Days
1.36
How I Met Your Mother!
185
How I Met Your Mother!
1.11
I Love Lucy
255
I Love Lucy
1.30
Leave it to Beaver
188
Leave it to Beaver
1.45
M * A * S * H
91
M * A * S * H
1.17
Sanford & son
110
Sanford & son
1.39
Seinfeld
144
Seinfeld
1.10
The Andy Griffith Show
67
The Andy Griffith Show
1.22
The Brady family
124
The Brady family
1.17
I Robinson
144
I Robinson
1.20
I Parker
150
I Parker
1.10
The graph above is designed to compare total laughter volume and laughter intensity index for each show. We created this comparison by assigning the
top performers in each category the same bar size; shows with longer blue bars have more laughs, while shows with longer yellow bars are more intense
laugh. We won’t judge you by what you prefer, we just want you to be able to make an informed decision.
Some necessary disclaimers
We acknowledge that the absence of Cheers in this analysis is significant. Remember, the shows are chosen in part based on the availability of
reruns, and it turns out that in many areas Cheers is not active. We’re not the only ones who miss it.
Our researchers have found that a large part of the comedy of The CosShow is that Bill is simply Bill, often causing a continuous roar of laughter that cuts through a
minute or more. This is very difficult to record with the model we have chosen, so The CosShow comedy may be underrepresented in our studio.
There is much debate about how M*A*S*H became quite preachy once he jumped the shark, and others blame Alan Alda’s influence, especially as a director. The episode used for this study was in fact directed by Alda, and is clearly an example of this phenomenon, as everyone knows that one episode of M*A*S*H is funnier than all the episodes of The Andy Griffith Show put Together.
It’s important to note that at this time, information about which shows used a laugh track with or without a studio audience isn’t widely available. Our research has revealed that virtually every sitcom uses a laugh track, albeit to varying degrees. We thought it best to take this information just for
granted and assume that laughter is deserved, whether genuine or made up.
Nominees for wiseGEEK’s Funniest Sitcom
Title of the series
Show Title
Original broadcast date
8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter
“The Changes”
10/1/04
All in the Family
“Friend of Mike”
12/14/74
Family Ties
“Big Brother is watching”
11/17/82
Frasier
“And the dish ran away with
the spoon, part II”
10/24/00
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
“Something for
Nothing”
12/9/91
Amici
“The one after the Superbowl, it leaves
II”
1/28/96
golden Girls
“Wham, Bam, thank you mom”
10/20/90
Happy Days
“They call it Potsie Love”
12/2/75
How I Met Your Mother!
“The marriage”
1/9/06
I Love Lucy
“Girls come in”
Business
10/12/53
Leave it to Beaver
“Train trip”
4/9/58
M * A * S * H
“The children”
10/31/75
Sanford & son
“La strada per Lamont’s
Heart”
3/15/74
Seinfeld
“The Commitment”
9/21/95
The Andy Griffith Show
“Goober Contest”
4/10/67
The Brady family
“Cindy Brady, signora”
2/18/72
I Robinson
“Claire’s Case”
2/21/85
I Parker
“Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow”
11/13/00
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